common era
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.56 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
The secular equivalent of anno Domini and the Christian Era, the internationally recognized method of numbering years on the Gregorian calendar.
Example Sentences
- "The second Book is divided into eight Chapters, treats of the origin of the Greek Characters, and changes that happen'd in them, to the fourth Century of the common Era."
- "Some say the World was created 3950 Years before the common Æra of Christ"
- "1796 years before the common era, and 1020 before the first Olympiad."
- "The vulgar Era, or Anno Domini; the fourth year of Jesus Christ, the first of which was but eight days." In its article on General Chronology, the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia stated that "Foremost among these (dating eras) is that which is now adopted by all civilized peoples and known as the Christian, Vulgar or Common Era, in the twentieth century of which we are now living."
Etymology
Originally Vulgar Era. The English phrase common Era appears at least as early as 1708, and by 1715 is used synonymously with Christian Era and Vulgar Era.
Inflected Forms
the Common Era (canonical)